Pilgrims’ Handbook: A Comprehensive Manual to the Rites of Hajj and Umrah

With the advent of technology, the entertainment industry has flourished and become immensely popular. Combine this with the exponential advances in technology, and the result is an increasing number of ways to amuse ourselves. As a result of such advances, Muslim react in a variety of manners towards entertainment. Some label entertainment as completely forbidden. This sometimes includes parents who say no to almost everything that their young ones deem to be ‘fun’, without providing them with suitable alternatives. Others, who do not want to take this extreme approach, fall into the trap of excessive use of – and even addiction to – various sources of entertainment, without any limits.

In Having Fun the Halal Way, Ismail Kamdar explores the teachings of Islam regarding entertainment. Drawing upon the Quran, the Sunnah and the understanding of the righteous scholars of Islam, he provides a detailed and balanced analysis of the topic. He not only explains the detriments of the current entertainment industry, but also suggests alternative means to have a good time with friends and family members.

Formal prayer (salat) is the second pillar of Islam, and the most important of a Muslim’s acts of worship. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “The first of one’s actions for which a slave of Allah will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment will be one’s prayers. If they are correct and accounted for, then he (or she) will have succeeded (gained paradise); and if they are lacking, then he (or she) will have failed (lost paradise). If there is something defective in his (or her) obligatory prayers, the Lord will say: ‘See if my slave has any supererogatory prayers with which that which was defective in his (or her) obligatory prayers may be completed. Then the rest of his (or her) deeds will be judged in like manner.” (At-Tirmidhi and others) Shaykh Mashhur Hasan Salman has compiled a list of the most common errors that we make when we pray, discussing and explaining each one. This book is a valuable aid to Muslims hoping to perfect their prayers, so that their prayers may be free of defects and acceptable to Allah. This new and revised edition of the English translation of his work presents the text in a fluent, highly readable style.

The concepts of citizenship and the accountability of government have never been discussed as separate topics in Islamic Jurisprudence. In Citizenship and Accountability of Government: An Islamic Perspective, Prof. M.H. Kamali brings together these two subjects, traces their origins in the Qur’an, theSunnah of the Prophet and the practice of the first four caliphs; follows their integration under different branches and discussions of the rights and obligations of Muslims in Islamic law; and finally, advances possible applications for each subject to modern Muslim states and to the position of Muslims living in non-Muslim countries.

Citizenship and Accountability of Government: An Islamic Perspective includes discussions of: the definitions of citizenship; the rights of citizens; the duties of citizens; citizenship laws; the concepts of dar al-Islam (abode of Islam); dar al-harb (abode of war) and the dar al-‘ahd (abode of treaty); the ummah and the nation-state; government as a trust; the selection of officials; the relationship between authority and citizens; corruption and the misuse of public funds; despotism and dynastic misrule; the right of complaint; the limits of obedience; impeachment of officials and heads of state; the foundation of institutions of accountability.

In addition to the topics of citizenship and accountability of government, this volume contains a discussion of freedom of movement in Islam which is the last of the fundamental rights in Prof. M.H. Kamali’s series on fundamental rights and liberties in Islam. Freedom of movement is included in this volume as it was never discussed as a separate topic in Islamic jurisprudence and therefore has certain similarities with the two other subjects of this volume.

Allah has blessed His slaves with certain seasons of goodness, in which rewards for good deeds are multiplied, bad deeds are forgiven, people’s status is raised, the hearts of the believers turn to their Lord, those who purify themselves attain success, and those who corrupt themselves fail. Ramadan, the month of fasting, is one such season. Fasting is one of the greatest acts of worship, and Allah has made fasting obligatory for His slaves. As the status of this act of worship is so high, it is essential to learn the rulings that have to do with the month of fasting, so that the Muslims will know what is obligatory, in order to do it, what is forbidden, in order to avoid it, and what is permissible, so that they do not need to subject themselves to hardship by depriving themselves of it. Matters Related to Fasting is a good summary of the rulings, the etiquette, and the manner of fasting according to the Sunnah.